So I treated myself to an early Christmas present. I got a QSC TouchMix 30 digital mixer. This thing is so cool. My normal load on a rock band gig would include a 16 channel Mackie mixer in a big rack case, two six space rack cases filled with equalizers, compressors, effects units, etc., and a 100 foot stage snake. That's about 200 pounds of bulky stuff. The new mixer does all of that and weighs 17.5 pounds (the mil spec case for it actually weighs more than the mixer). It has a tablet control app (iPad or Android) which eliminates the need for the snake, although you could still use it if you wanted a FOH sound man at the console. It also has 14 auxiliary outputs so each band member can have their own personal monitor mix that they can control with their tablet or phone. From the console, I grant permission to their device based on their needs, without surrendering control of the main mix. While it initially seemed a bit confusing, after a couple hours, I had pretty much everything figured out, and created a base "scene" for our band. One of the best things is that once you get everything dialed in, you can save a scene for every venue (up to 99) where you play. Next time you are there, just recall the scene and you are ready to go.
I can't wait to use it on a gig. Now if they could only make lightweight speakers that sound good.
I can't wait to use it on a gig. Now if they could only make lightweight speakers that sound good.